Vapor electric apparatus.



H. 1. WOOD. VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.17, 1903.

Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

. Inventor: Howard I. Wood, ff'bfi y- WHfmesses:

HOWARD I. WOOD, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW

Parana orrien YORK, ASSIGNOB TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. "Z, 1909.

.Lpplication filed December 17, 1903. Serial No. 185,482.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, Howann 1. W000, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Vapor Electric Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates more especially to starting means Ior a vapor electric lamp or the like and includes certain novel features not only in the starting mechanism for the lamp but also in the construction and arrangement 01 the apparatus as a whole.

My invention is intended to be used more especially for starting horizontal or inclined lamps but is, of course, not limited to use in this relation. i

he features oil novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with rpmticularity in the appended claims. The invcntion itself, however, both as to its prae tical construction and mode of operation will be better understood by reference to the following description taken in coi'ineetion with the accoi'npanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 represents one embodiment of my invention and Fig. 2 another form of the samev in Fig. l the exhausted envelop of the lamp consxstsol" an inclined tubular portion which the are or current llow takes place, and a relatively short vertical portion 2 constituting a condensing chamber for rape]: generated in the lamp during normal operation. At the outer end of the tubular mcml'icr l is located onevol' the main electrodes 3. This electrode, as shown, consists o'l a hollow cylindrical body of artificial. graphite, carbon or the like supported by a wire or rod at extending through the 'all'of the envelop and constituting a leading-in conductor. This wire is protected by an int-losing tube 5} ol? glass ilused atone end of the wall of the envelop and atthe other end llared so as to project slightly, like a hood, over the adjacentend oiv the electrode 3. v

' The opposite end of the lam envelop is provided with two pockets containing bodies of mercury t3 and 7 coi'istituting electrodes. .A filan'ient S of carbon, electrically connected to the clectrodwifi, extend, therein-an the whole length ol': the tube, through suitable guides 9 and 10, and rests, at its free end,

upon the surface of the mercury electrode 6. The end of the filament, Where it comes in contact with the mercury, is slightly enlarged so as to prevent excessive heating and thereby render the effect of disintegration negligible.

An electro-niagnet, having a core 11 with projecting arms and a magnetizing coil 12, is arranged so duced thereby passes through the walls of the tube 1 and across the lower portion or end of the filament 8.

Current is supplied to the lamp from tl e supply mains 13 and l t. In order to start the lamp connections are i'nade as follows: The anode 3 is connected through a steady ing resistance 15 to the positive supply main 1.4-. The main mercury electrode or cathode 7 is connected, through the coil lt of a cutout device, with the negative main 1; The companion mercury electrode 0 is connected through a resistance 17 also to the negative main lit. The magnctiz iing coil 12 of the electromagnet is connected across the two supply mains lb and l-l, with an interpo ed resistance 18 it necessary, and includes in circuit therewith the two circuit-breaking contacts 19 controlled by the magnetizing coil 1U. \Yhcn now currents in these circuits are caused to llow by closing the main switch 20, it will be noted that the magnetic licld then produced by the electro-magnct acts dynamically upon the current lhwving between the positive and negative mains through the filament S. The direction of magnetization of the cleetro-lnagnet is made such that the filament, under the intlucnce ot' the magnetic field, is lifted oil of the electrode G. diately cxtends the electrode 3 and, as a secondary ctlect of the magetie field, is blown across to the main cathode 7. This are now passes bctwtaai the electrodes 7 and 3, and by reason of the higher resistance path due to the resistance 17,11as no tendency to I'Qltlll to tlnastarting electrode (3, As soon as current llows through the electrode 7 the solenoid ll; is energized thus attracting its core 21 and so breaking the circuit 0'! the llltl, 'tlt-ll2llt1' coil 12 ot the electire-magnet. The lamp is now in. normal, operation.

instead of using the same clwtro-nmgnet ilor springing the are by elevating the filament, and, also,- after it has once been that the magnetic field pro- An are is thus started which inane-- along the filamen H and to sprung, for deflecting the are from the start ing electrode to the main electrode, I may, if desired, use separate electro-magnets for this purpose. An organization for effecting this result is shown in Fig. 2. As before, the main tube of the lamp is indicated at 22,

the condensing chamber at 23, the graphite.

anode at 24:, and a filamentary conductor at 25. This filamentary conductor extends from the anode 24: and its lower or outer end rests lightly on the top of the mercury starting electrode 26. The main cathode or mercury electrode is located beyond the elec-,

' trode 26 and is indicated at 27.

Two electro-magnets 28 and 29, the magnetizing coils of which are in the same circuit, are arranged so that one, the magnet 29, when energized raises the filament 25 so employ only one mercury electrode and to that its lower end is carried out of engagement with the starting electrode26, while the other magnet 28 draws the are thus formed away from the starting electrode 26 to the running electrode 27. The circuit of these magnets, as soon as the lamp starts, is interrupted by a cut-out device the energizing coil 30 of which is in circuit with the electrode 27 and the circuit breaking contacts 31 in the circuit of the magnets as in dicated. As before, a resistance 32 prevents the return of the are after its transfer from the starting electrode 26 to the running electrode 27 In some instances it may be suificient to allow the filament, after it has started the lamp by being disengaged from the electrode, to returnto and rest upon the electrode. This, of course, does away with complication but is open to the objection that the end of the filament resting in the elec trode is subject to disintegration. I find it preferable, therefore, after the lamp has been started, to cut the filament out of cir cuit. This I have done, in the organizations above described, by using a plurality of mercury electrodes, one of which is a starting electrode with which the filament engages and which, after the lamp is startn ed, is cut out of circuit, and the other a running electrode or main cathode.

It is evident that numerous modifications and adaptations of my invention may be made without departing-from the spirit thereof, for which reason I do not wish to be limited to the exact details shown and described.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a vapor electric apparatus, the com bination of a vaporizable electrode, a 0011- ductor having one end resting thereon, and

means for subjecting said conductor to theinfluence of an intersecting magnetic field.

2. In a Vapor electric apparatus, the combination of a vaporizable electrode, a. filament having one end resting on the surface of said electrode, means for passing current through the filament, and means for. subjecting the filament to the influence of an intersecting magnetic field whereby it is caused to move out of engagement with the electrode.

3. The combination of an exhausted envelop, electrodes therein adjacent to each other, a filament having one end resting on one of the electrodes, and a magnet or other device producing a magnetic field for lifting the filament out of engagement with its coacting electrode and for blowing the are then resultingtoward the cooperating electrode.

4.. In a starting device'for vapor electric apparatus, the combination of means afi'ords ing a conducting path throughithe apparatus for current from the supply source, and means acting ele'ctro-dynamicallyupon the current thus flowing for'producing a break in the conducting path thus generating an initial starting arc.

5. The combination of an exhausted envelop, a plurality of electrodes, andan ele'c tro-magnet for causing an are started from one electrode to shift to another electrode.

6. The combination of an exhausted envelop, a plurality of electrodes, and a device producing an electro-magnetic field for causing an are started from one electrode to shift to another electrode.

7. The combination of an exhausted envelop, electrodes'therein, a filament secured 100 at one end in fixed relation to the envelop and having its opposite end 4 resting on one of said electrodes, and electric means for producing a disengagement between the end of the filament and the cectrode on which it rests.

8. The combination of an envelop containing electrodes, a filament extending longitudinally of said envelop and engaging one of said electrodes, and means for laterally moving the filament.

9. The combination'of an envelop containing electrodes, a filament in said envelop adapted .to engage one of said electrodes, and means for laterally moving an end of 11.5 the filament.

10. The combination of an exhausted en velop, electrodes therein in fixed relation to each other, and'a relatively movable filament extending between said electrodes.

11. The combination of. an exhausted envelop, electrodes therein in fixed relation to each other, a filament extending between said electrodes, and magnetic means for moving said filament.

12. The'combination of an exhausted envelop, a fixed electrode therein, a movable rent from the same supply main, anda so-.

lenoid or magnetizing coil in circuit with 15. In an apparatus of the character desaid connections and acting to move said scribed, the combination of a filament and filament. a tip therefor capable of acting as a posi-.

13. The combination of an exhausted entive elect-rode Withoutexcessive heating.

5 veloo, a fluid electrode, and a filament pro- In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set 15 Vi'd'tl' with an enlarged end dipping in said my hand this 15th day of December, 1903. electrode. HOWARD I. WOOD.

'14. The combination of an exhausted en- \Vitnesses; velop", a fluid electrode, and a filament pro- BENJAMIN B. HULL, el v-vided With an enlarged end. HELEN ORFORD. 

